Downtown Mesa plans to bring back Christmas lights

A tumbleweed holiday tree in the downtown has anchored festivities
since 1957. This year's events begin with a Nov. 19 block party,
followed by a Dec. 3 tree lighting ceremony. Decorations that once
only filled Dr. A.J. Chandler Park were expanded last year on
Arizona Avenue, from Chandler Boulevard to Frye Road. The Downtown
Chandler Community Partnership funds the lights.

Gilbert

The Town Hall became the center of holiday cheer a few years ago,
when a tree lighting ceremony, Santa and other events became a new
tradition. A Dec. 9 event is planned this year, but the town hasn't
yet committed to a tree, a location or other key details of its
holiday plans. Funding comes from sponsorships, vendor fees and
some town money.

Tempe

Downtown buildings and the Mill Avenue Bridge are topped with
lights every holiday, and Mill Avenue is lined with lights,
decorations and banners. Additional displays will be bought this
year and used in the future. Events include a street parade on Nov.
26, Festival of the Arts on Dec. 2, boat parade on Tempe Town Lake
on Dec. 10 and block party Dec. 31. Tempe provides half the
funding, with the rest from sponsorships, donations and the
Downtown Tempe Community.

Downtown Mesa is ditching its Grinch-like approach to the
holidays with plans to string lights through the city center this
year.

Downtown has skimped on lights for years despite its displays
once being voted the best city lights show in the Valley.

The Downtown Mesa Association wants to build the holiday light
tradition back up even if it takes more than a year, said DMA
executive director David Short. The nonprofit began a last-minute
fundraising effort a few weeks ago with a goal of raising
$50,000.

"We're going to make something happen, it's just to what level
we're going to make it happen," Short said. "We're going to put up
whatever we can fund."

The lack of holiday lights caught Short off guard when he
stepped into his job in November 2010. New to Arizona, he knew
holiday lights should start going up about that time and asked his
staff what the schedule was.

Neither the DMA nor Mesa funded holiday lights for some time, he
was told.

Short scrambled to get $3,000 and strung lights along the Main
Street median.

The city eliminated its $150,000 light budget in 2003. After
that, merchants and occasionally the city gathered some funds for
limited displays. Some frustrated shop owners decorated only in
front of their businesses.

The biggest expense in lights is the labor to install and remove
them. It was cheaper to cut out and throw away the old, inexpensive
lights, Short said. The DMA will now buy more reliable and
efficient LEDs and reuse them.

Short wants the lights to go up in September, if not this year
at least in future years.

"For the expense, you'd like to leave the look up for a lengthy
period of time," he said.

SunDust Gallery owner Ron Floyd said he had never seen the
lights but has heard rave reviews from customers despite the big
displays going away so long ago. Floyd opened his gallery in
September 2009 and would like a more festive look to draw customers
during the holiday season.

It could encourage merchants to extend hours into the evening if
enough visitors stroll down sidewalks that usually are quiet by 6
p.m. or earlier.

"We're looking for reasons to stay open," Floyd said. "If we can
get more people down here in the evening, we'd be happy to stay
open."